Govt lab confirms HMPV infection in 8-yr-old; cases in Gujarat rise to 3

An eight-year-old boy from Gujarat's Sabarkantha district has contracted human metapneumovirus infection, taking the number of HMPV cases in the state to three, an official said on Friday.

The boy, who belongs to a family of farm labourers from Prantij taluka, was found positive for HMPV in a test run by a private laboratory but health authorities had sent his blood samples to a government lab for confirmation, he said.

The child, who is currently admitted to a private hospital in Himmatnagar town, had been considered a suspected HMPV case until now.

The government lab on Friday confirmed that the boy is infected with HMPV. He is currently under treatment and his condition is stable, said Sabarkantha District Collector Ratankanvar Gadhavicharan.

Doctors at the hospital told reporters that the boy was on a ventilator.

Gujarat recorded its first case of HMPV on January 6, when a two-month-old boy from Rajasthan was found to be afflicted with the viral disease, which has symptoms like fever, nasal congestion, runny nose, and cough. He was discharged after being treated at a hospital here.

On Thursday, An 80-year-old man tested positive for the viral infection in Ahmedabad city. The patient, who has been suffering from asthma, is currently receiving treatment at a private hospital.

HMPV, discovered in 2001, belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family. It is closely related to the Respiratory Syncytial Virus. It spreads through respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing, as well as by touching contaminated surfaces or coming into direct contact with infected individuals.